The present invention relates to an apparatus for use by a hand loader of ammunition for installing gas checks on bullets and for sizing and lubricating such bullets.
Machines which have been conventionally available for the hand loader of ammunition are of the single stage type for sizing and lubricating of cast bullets. Such devices are mainly fed, by the operator, by hand, one bullet at a time being pressed down into a sizing and lubricating die by a hand operated lever. Gas checks are put on by hand. This is a very slow and not very accurate process.
"Gas checks" are small cups, made from copper, which are of different sizes and diameter depending upon the caliber of bullet used. They are secured onto the base of a lead or lead-alloy cast bullet prior to the sizing and lubricating of that bullet.
Commercial machines are known that do the process of sizing and lubricating. These however are of a mass-production type. They are very expensive and carry out only sizing and lubricating operations.
Prior issued patents describing and illustrating conventional apparatus include U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,809 of Hertzler issued Aug. 19, 1980, which patent describes and illustrates a chain-driven indexing plate for sizing and lubricating bullets simultaneously. Wadman et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,535,616 issued Dec. 26, 1950 describes and illustrates a lever operated bullet lubricator device, and Engles U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,298 issued July 31, 1984 describes and illustrates a plunger-operated bullet sizing device. Bullet sizing and lubricating devices of general background interest are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,019,795 of Peterson issued Nov. 5, 1935, 2,133,873 of Sharp issued Oct. 18, 1938; 2,403,032 of Stevens, Jr. issued July 2, 1946; 3,005,372 of Hall issued Oct. 24, 1961 and 3,322,020 of Eckert issued May 30, 1967. Also of background interest is Canadian Pat. No. 161,851 of Wetherspoon, et al issued May, 1915, which describes and illustrates a bullet swaging machine.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus designed for the firearm ammunition hand loader which will continuously and accurately permit installation of gas checks on cast bullets and the sizing and lubricating of the bullet with the gas check on. It is a further object of the present invention which will permit such steps to be carried out in a progressive action, with greater ease and speed than has been provided heretofore in apparatus intended for use by ammunition hand loaders.